More undocumented immigrants expected to be flown to El Paso

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents work at a processing facility, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, in Brownsville,Texas. CPB provided media tours Wednesday of two locations in Brownsville and Nogales, Ariz. that have been central to processing the more than 47,000 unaccompanied children who have entered the country illegally since Oct. 1. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, Pool) (Eric Gay)

More undocumented immigrants are expected to arrive in El Paso this week, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, confirmed on Monday.

"We were made aware that there would be at least an additional plane of migrant families coming to El Paso this week," O'Rourke said.

The congressman added that he did not have specific information on when the undocumented immigrants would be arriving, or the number of passengers and planes that would be landing in El Paso.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials did not provide any specifics on how many more undocumented immigrants are expected to be transferred to El Paso.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to transport adults with children from the Rio Grande Valley to the El Paso Sector in Texas," Jackie Wasiluk, CBP spokeswoman, said in a statement.

"The movement will allow the U.S. Border Patrol in less congested areas to assist in processing family units from South Texas where we are seeing an influx of migrants crossing the border. The transfer of immigrants between Border Patrol sectors occurs on a regular basis to allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to manage flows and processing capability."

Wasiluk said that once CBP processes the families, they will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), where "appropriate custody determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis, prioritizing national security and public safety," Wasiluk added in a statement.

ICE officials declined to comment.

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A congressional official said that new arrivals will be treated in much the same way previous arrivals have been processed. They would be processed and released. ICE would then coordinate with local organizations to make sure families have food, shelter and a way to reach their relatives living in the U.S.

The first two flights that arrived in El Paso on June 7 carried 270 passengers.

Two more flights carrying an undisclosed number of undocumented immigrants landed in El Paso on June 14.

Immigration officials on Monday could not confirm the number of passengers that arrived on June 14.

The Annunciation House in El Paso has helped the recently arrived undocumented immigrants by giving them food, shelter and helping them with plane or bus tickets as they travel to meet their loved ones in other cities. Ruben Garcia, executive director for the Annunciation House, could not be reached for comment.

O'Rourke said he didn't know how much longer the Department of Homeland Security planned to transfer undocumented immigrants to El Paso.

"I think the honest answer is that nobody knows what the future holds," he said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh C. Johnson and Vice President Joe Biden have spoken to leaders of Central American countries, warning them about the dangers of traveling to the United States illegally.

Families and unaccompanied children who reach the country would not receive deferment under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Johnson said in an open letter to parents of children crossing the border. Instead, they would be deported back to their country of origin.

Under DACA, a child must have been in the United States prior to June 15, 2007, Johnson said in the letter. The letter, released in English on Monday, was sent to Spanish language media over the weekend.

The Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on the "Growing Problem of Unaccompanied Children Crossing the Border" today in Washington, D.C.

In the letter, Johnson told parents of accompanied children that "sending your child to travel illegally into the United States is not the solution."

"The long journey is not only dangerous; there are no 'permisos,' 'permits,' or free passes at the end," Johnson wrote.

In his letter, Johnson wrote about the dangers of smuggling, sexual assaults and the perils of trying to enter the country illegally during the summer.

Also, aside from reiterating that the DACA would not apply to newly arrived undocumented children, Johnson wrote, "Rather, under current U.S. laws and policies, anyone who is apprehended crossing our border illegally is a priority for deportation, regardless of age. ... The document issued to your child is not a 'permiso,' but a Notice To Appear in a deportation proceeding before an immigration judge."

In his letter, Johnson also highlighted the number of unaccompanied children who tried to enter the country illegally. In May that number reached more than 9,000, bringing the total for 2014 to 47,000.

"The majority of these children come from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, where gang and drug violence terrorize communities," Johnson wrote.

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